Illinois Wesleyan football player Eli Williams and women's golfer Lindsey Haines have earned academic awards from national sources.  Williams is one of 103 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars Award winners and Haines is the recipient of an NCAA postgraduate scholarship.

Williams was one of 18 football players honored and a total of 103 student-athletes from all NCAA divisions were honored in a total of 12 sports.
In 2009 Williams was named the team's "Best Small Skill" player as he led the Titans with 872 yards and seven touchdowns on 169 carries.. He was the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin "Offensive Player of the Week" on Sept. 8 as he rushed 177 yards on 18 carries with three touchdowns in 28-25 win over Hope. The 177 yards is No. 16 in an IWU single game.
Williams, from Westville, Ill., HS, has a 3.752 grade-point average as a business management major and is a member of the IWU Law Society, a co-leader of the Collegiate Black Christians Bible Study, and a member of the Intervarsity Leadership Team.
The publication Diverse Issues in Higher Education established the Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars Awards to honor undergraduate students of color who have made achieving both academically and athletically a winning combination.
Inspired by tennis legend Ashe's commitment to education as well as his love for the game of tennis, colleges and universities nationwide are invited to participate in the annual awards program by nominating their outstanding sports scholars.
In addition to their athletic ability, Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars must exhibit academic excellence and community activism.
To be included, students have to compete in an intercollegiate sport, maintain a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.2 and be active on their campuses or in their communities.
Marcia Newby, a gymnast at the University of Georgia, and Darius Law, a track sprinter from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, were the female and male winners of the Arthur Ashe Jr. “Sports Scholar of the Year” honors.

Haines, who graduated in May, is one of 58 athletes who participated in spring sports to be awarded an NCAA postgraduate scholarship.
The NCAA awards postgraduate scholarships of $7,500 each to 29 male and 29 female student-athletes who participated in spring sports, which included baseball , men's and women's golf, men's and women's lacrosse, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's outdoor track and field, men's volleyball, women's rowing, softball, synchronized swimming, and women's water polo.
2010 "Woman of the Year" in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin and will represent the conference as a nominee for the 2010 NCAA Woman of the Year award.
Haines, an economics and political science major (3.83 grade-point average) from Crete, Ill., and Marian Catholic High School, was the conference individual medalist in golf in 2009 and participated in the 2010 NCAA Division III Women's Golf Championship with her team. Haines' conference title was her second straight, leading the Titans to their eighth straight CCIW title dating back to 2002. She earned team "Most Valuable Player" honors for her performance in 2009-10.
Haines is a member of the Dean's List, and is the recipient of the Robert S. Eckley President's Club Award, Elizabeth Weir Fellowship for Community Service, and is an Excellence in Service as a University Employee nominee.
She is also active in her community, working as a caddie for Special Olympics golf competitions, assisted with weekly golf camps for the Crete Park District, and, is a volunteer umpire for the Crete Baseball Softball Association. Haines also interned for the Sunshine Through Golf Foundation, a non-profit organization that funds golf camps for handicapped individuals.
In addition to the spring sport honorees, the NCAA awards 118 postgraduate scholarships to student-athletes participating in fall and winter sports in which the NCAA conducts championships or participates in as an emerging sport, for a total of 174 postgraduate scholarships annually.
To qualify for an NCAA postgraduate scholarship, a student-athlete must have an overall grade-point average of 3.2 (on a 4.0 scale) or its equivalent, and must have performed with distinction as a member of the varsity team in the sport in which the student-athlete was nominated. The student-athlete must have behaved, both on and off the field, in a manner that has brought credit to the student-athlete, the institution and intercollegiate athletics.
The student-athlete also must intend to continue academic work beyond the baccalaureate degree as a full-time or part-time graduate student.
Nominations are made by each school's faculty athletics representatives and selections are made three times each academic year. Candidates are screened by seven regional selection committees and the award recipients are selected by the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Committee.